Making KC America s Most Entrepreneurial City: Year 5

Making KC America s Most Entrepreneurial City: Year 5 Awareness Entrepreneurs Capital Talent Resources Innovators Corporations

132,931 46,949 6,561 1,855 You build this city and we want to thank each and every one of you. And KC is known as a great place to live, play, work, raise a family, be an entrepreneur and scale a business, because of you. Because when you choose KC, you create KC. Microenterprises are businesses that require little capital to start Main Streeters define our city s character When you choose to spend your dollars with a local business, more money stays in our community and our economy. When you choose to invest in Kansas City startups, you help promising ideas get to market and find their footing faster. When you choose to be a resource for our, when you join the KCSourceLink network as a coach, mentor, investor, advisor, trainer, connector or partner, you embody that KC can-do attitude and prove that we are all better when we are connected. And when you choose to create a business in Kansas City, to take that leap, to put your ideas out there, to share your passion with the city and the world, you re doing more than pursuing a personal dream. You are creating solutions, opportunities and jobs. You are inspiring new dreams and new ideas. At the core, hip and your choice to support it is about that freedom: to chase a dream, to solve a problem, to own your destiny, to build a better future, to inspire someone, to create something even to create this Kansas City we call home from the ground up. So thank you. Keep doing what you re doing and do more. We still have work to do to invite more from marginalized communities into the hope of hip, improve access to capital, build bridges between startups and corporations, recruit talent, move ideas to market and tell our story. And we re going to need you to do it. Because, in the beginning, in the end and only together do We Create KC. Georgina Herrera Mackech Jewelry Joel Teply Cambrian Innovation-led disrupt industries KCSourceLink has been working with our partners to support and make KC America s most entrepreneurial city. Why? Jobs. Second-stage generate jobs and millions in revenue Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Data, 2013; Kauffman Foundation/ACS Survey ; MERIC 16,376 Each year, KC startups* create, on average JOBS From the urban core to our satellite cities, our neighborhoods are filling up with quirky and quaint shops, with comfort food and craft cocktails, with urban gardens and maker collectives, because of you. Headlines, in Kansas City and beyond, boast of KC creations, inventions and innovations, because of you. Locals, transplants and tourists alike wear KC proudly, on their heads and in their hearts because of you. KCSourceLink serves all : * Startups are first-time employers with fewer than 20 employees. Source: We Create Jobs and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2016 Rebecca Dove Pennez Jim Starcev PerfectCube Tammie Wahaus ELIAS Animal Health Kansas City is a city for. Here are a few who create KC. Bek Abdullayev Super Dispatch Johanna Miller Potion Yarns 2 We Create KC Get connected and get involved: Visit wecreatekc.com or call 816-235-6500. We Create KC 3

KCSourceLink connects KC hip Entrepreneurs are at the center of everything we do and we work with all types. KCSourceLink activates a network of business-building resources to make essential connections between and the community, foster collaborations to fill gaps in the ecosystem and measure the impact of our on the KC economy. Make Connections between, resources, investors and community 249 business-building resources help vet their ideas, plan their growth, explore funding opportunities and more Top 5 reasons why reached out to KCSourceLink in : Start a business Improve their marketing/sales Find funding or financial assistance Plan their business Find a mentor 9,425 2016 7,413 5,355 5,225 2013 4,126 Eric Petersen H&R Block Business & Career Center, Kansas City Public Library 9,425 connections via our hotline and email let us know what need and how the community wants to engage in KC hip Elisa Waldman Kansas Small Business Development Center at Johnson County Community College Morgan Perry Square One at Mid-Continent Public Library Julie Cortés The Freelance Exchange of KC Create Community Collaborations to fill gaps in entrepreneurial services Entrepreneurs Ken Harris SCORE KCSourceLink matches people with people to grow KC hip: Investors Corporate Leaders Educators Civic Leaders Entrepreneurial Supporters Increase Awareness of how KC supports hip Measure Impact to see what s working and what s next John Pajor KC BizCare Within a month of being connected with KCSourceLink partners: 50% of decided to start a business 28% improved business operations 10% increased sales and/or employees Source: KCSourceLink survey 2,000+ events are hosted by Resource Partners each year to help educate, inspire and connect 469,010 page views mean that are accessing events, inspiration and help via kcsourcelink.com, 24/7/365 Judy Bumpus Women s Business Center Carmen DeHart Missouri Small Business & Technology Development 4 We Create KC Center at the University of Missouri Kansas City Source: KCSourceLink, SourceLink Pro, Visit wecreatekc.com or call 816-235-6500. We Create KC 5

The world is watching KC hip #1 City for Business Growth Wendover-InsightPRM Business Growth Report, 2016 #2 City for High Wage Jobs Forbes, Storytellers, civic leaders, cultural stewards all work to shape the perception of Kansas City beyond our borders and to project it to the world. Their work has helped KC hip garner headlines, national rankings and a reputation for camaraderie, innovation and entrepreneurial growth all within an environment that is affordable, vibrant and truly supportive of its. Here are our top 10 of KC s top 10 rankings: Bobby Burch Startland News #3 Best Cities for Jobs Glassdoor, #2 Most Improved Metro Area for Startup Growth Kauffman Index of Startup Activity, 2016 Kelly Scanlon Thinking Bigger Business Media #4 Best City for Startups in U.S. #4 Best City for Young Entrepreneurs Under30CEO, 2013 Sarah Mote KCSourceLink Tamarra Price KPPZ Urban Talk 100.5 FM Ashlie Hand Kansas City Area Development Council Brian Kaberline Kansas City Business Journal Saleem Rasheed Taking Care of Business Magazine Entrepreneur, #2 Best Job Market for College Grads ZipRecruiter, #2 City for Women in Tech SmartAsset, #5 City for Tech Jobs Money, #4 Hot Startup City Entrepreneur, 6 We Create KC Visit wecreatekc.com or call 816-235-6500. We Create KC 7

How are we accelerating KC innovations? Concept Feasibility Proof-of-Concept Test Launch Ready! Partners in the KCSourceLink network step in to help give lift and momentum to homegrown innovations, helping makers and innovators define markets, develop prototypes, find mentors, secure capital and more. These innovations are CEO-ready. Whiteboard2Boardroom has curated 250+ innovations from 23 research institutions, hospitals and corporations across Kansas and Missouri, helping move technologies out of research labs and into the marketplace. Illustrated here: a select number of innovations that are ready for licensing or commercialization. Whether they start in the lab, basement, kitchen or as a sketch on a napkin, all KC innovations benefit from a strong pipeline of partners who help accelerate ideas to market. 11 Environmental Technologies 24 Chemistry and Advanced Materials 112 Human Health Jeff Shackelford Digital Sandbox KC 47 Engineering and Manufacturing 19 Ag Science 26 Computer and Software Programming Xander Winkel Ennovation Center Quest Moffat Project United Knowledge 14 Animal Health and Veterinary Science Jill Meyer Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Center at UMKC Jim Baxendale Whiteboard2Boardroom 8 We Create KC Source: Whiteboard2Boardroom, vetted from partner organizations, various public sources and private databases. Visit wecreatekc.com or call 816-235-6500. We Create KC 9

Who is investing in KC? Invest in the future For the news is good: The number of equity investments and grants into KC-based companies is the highest it s been in the past five years. 144 Stage of Business Development Revenue line KC investors and funders have been raising their hands and stepping up. Almost half of the capital resources for early-stage are new since 2013. 70 % of companies that got funding in received assistance from the KCSourceLink network EDC Loan Corp. of KC Heartland Business Capital Johnson County, Mo. Loan Fund Mid-America Angels Midwest Small Business Finance NetWork Kansas Multiplier Funds* Northland Angel Investor Network* Women s Capital Connection Dundee Venture Capital* Eldar Capital* Firebrand Ventures* Flyover Capital* iim* Invest America InvestMidwest KCRise Fund* Leawood Ventures* Royal Street Ventures* Stray Dog Capital* B12 Capital C3 Capital Group Five Elms Capital Great Range Capital Konza Valley Capital MidStates Capital Neuterra Capital* OpenAir Equity Partners* TGP Capital Partners TradeBot Ventures 111 90 111 118 2013 2016 Break even Hispanic Economic Development Corp. Impacto Fund, Inc.* AltCap Microloan Program* Digital Sandbox KC* Justine PETERSEN Microloan Program* Greater Kansas City LISC Microloan Program* LaunchKC* SBIR Phase I WE-Lend Microloan Program* Kelly Sievers Women s Capital Connection KC investors support startups For the last three years running, the number of investors from the Kansas City area has outpaced investors from outside Kansas City. 70 60 50 40 30 Kansas City Outside 67 61 Sources: Above, Includes equity investments and grants. Various public sources and private databases. Left, Various public and private databases, for investments where investors are disclosed. * Indicates new (since 2013) capital resource 20 17 Ruben Alonso AltCap Thad Langford Flyover Capital 10 0 5 2012 2013 2016 Ron LeMay OpenAir Equity Partners Terry Dunn D.D. Ranch Leawood Darcy Howe KCRise Fund Pedro Zamora Hispanic Economic Development Corporation Lisa Zimmerman Justine PETERSEN 10 We Create KC Sherry Turner Women s Business Center Visit wecreatekc.com or call 816-235-6500. We Create KC 11

How do corporations get involved in KC hip? Many corporations find innovation new solutions, new products or new markets through engagement with the entrepreneurial community. Big KC companies engage with entrepreneurial firms in a number of ways: Event and program sponsorship put the spotlight on community engagement Mentoring/intentional collisions support fresh talent and grow local companies JE Dunn incubated, invested in and spun out Site 1001, a building management platform with three offices and 30 employees. KCP&L and GXP support the Energy Sandbox, a part of Digital Sandbox KC that provides early stage grant funding and support for companies at the proof-of-concept stage. Black & Veatch established their Growth Accelerator to spur internal innovation and create a culture of hip within the company. Sprint and Dairy Farmers of America partner in the Sprint Accelerator to work closely with select entrepreneurial firms to solve specific business problems. Intrapreneurship creates a culture of innovation and opportunity Corporate accelerators create new products and new partnerships Corporations invest in startups Corporations also engage with the entrepreneurial community by being first customers and test beds. Smaller companies can also become part of the supply chain for a large organization. Who will be KC s next big corporation? These are the companies to watch. Companies on the KC Watch List received funding, grant or investment, in 2016 and, or two investments or grants in. + + Big Bang + + Billdrill + + blooom + + ClaimKit + + Drones 4 Hire + + ELIAS Animal Health + + FEWDM, LLC + + Flow Forward Medical + + H3 Enterprises + + Hidden Abilities, LLC + + HylaPharm + + ImpeDx Diagnostics + + Idle Smart + + LendingStandard + + Livestock Lens + + Metactive Medical, LLC + + Mobility Designed + + MusicSpoke + + Mycroft + + Orbis Biosciences, Inc. + + OssiFi + + OYO Fitness + + Pepper + + PerfectCube + + PopBookings + + PlanIT Impact + + PreScreend + + ShotTracker + + Site 1001 + + Super Dispatch + + Tapyness + + Toss It Curbside, Inc. + + Training for REAL + + Vector Legal Method + + Zego Sources: Various public sources and private databases Ashwin Shashindranath GXP Investments Patty Corcoran Black & Veatch Growth Accelerator Doug Dresslaer Sprint Accelerator 12 We Create KC Visit wecreatekc.com or call 816-235-6500. We Create KC 13 Sam Robertson Site 1001

Resources Connect to a network of resources Talent Develop nextgen talent, from elementary school through college Innovation Accelerate ideas toward commercialization Awareness Tell the story of KC hip Capital Improve access to capital for KC hip: it takes a village and a lot of time The KCSourceLink network was here before the economic surge and slump, before Google came to town, before entrepreneur became a thing people actually wanted to be, before KC s entrepreneurial renaissance to build an infrastructure on which hip and our economy could thrive. 2003 connects to resources Network of resource partners 2003 51 249 2006 2004 UMKC launches Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Mid-America Angels, first formal angel network in KC 2006 Pipeline is a fellowship of high-performing Midwestern KC hip is not an overnight success story. It took deep roots. It took deliberate planning. It took intentional collaboration and outreach. Be proud of what you ve built. Be proud of the KC you created. Celebrate it and step up to move it forward. Because we still have a long way to go to connect all into the KC ecosystem, recruit talent, move ideas to market, improve access to capital, build more bridges between startups and corporations and tell our story. 2007 Missouri Technology Corporation IDEA Funds accelerate Missouri innovations 2008 Women s Capital Connection, first regional angel group for women GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 2008 GEW inspires people around the globe to become 2009 Artist INC helps turn artists into artpreneurs 2009 Whiteboard2Boardroom matches to market-worthy technologies Matched UMKC with Toby Rush to create EyeVerify/Zoloz 2009 KC BizCare opens as KCMO s customer service center for businesses 2011 KC Chamber s Big 5: Make KC America s Most Entrepreneurial City 2011 Google Fiber 2011 Hammerspace is a nationally recognized model for makerspaces $540MM invested in KC startups in 61% increase in # of KC deals since 290% increase in access to capital from 2013 to 2016 We need to view education and hip as interconnected and inseparable. Corey Mohn, Blue Valley CAPS 2011 Kauffman School, a free public charter school, opens 2011 The Ennovation Center opens KC s first commercial kitchen for foodpreneurs 2013 LaunchKC grants bring startups to downtown KC 2012 Mid-America Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is one of the most active chambers in KC 2013 2012 KC Microloan Program collaboration fills key gap in funding continuum 2012 KC Startup Village builds a neighborhood of 2012 1 Million Cups KC showcases startups every week provides proof-of-concept resources to support early-stage innovations Sprint Accelerator kicks off inaugural program with TechStars 2013 Athena League empowers female MECA Challenge inspires high school and college students CAPS program connects high schoolers to internships. Your Piece of the Pie helps elementary students explore hip. Mid-Continent Public Library launches Square One Small Business ScaleUP! Kansas City helps businesses scale 2013 Blue Hills Contractor Incubator is the first to open an incubator for construction contractors What s next? Turn the page for the latest in KC hip The Lean Lab launches education innovations in partnership with KCMO schools Gold Award IEDC Source: Various public sources and private databases. 14 We Create KC Visit wecreatekc.com or call 816-235-6500. We Create KC 15

Where did it begin? See how KC built an infrastructure for Project United Knowledge, an accelerator, serves from underserved communities We Create Capital is an action plan to improve access to capital Startland News reports on KC s most innovative ideas KC Coworking Alliance spreads the word about coworking spaces and best practices Velocity Lee s Summit shines spotlight on suburban Flyover Capital focuses on early-stage investments Enterprise Center in Johnson County launches Growth Mentoring Service 2016 KCRise Fund engages local investors in sidecar fund Sprint Accelerator rolls out the Corporate Accelerator with Sprint, Pinsight Media and Dairy Farmers of America We Create Jobs reports on jobs created by KC startups Northeast Chamber of Commerce opens the Egg Pop-Up Business Incubator for Main Street AltCap secures SBA Microloan Fund 5,072 referrals to partners in the KCSourceLink network in 3,651 unique people served in 5,000+ attendees at GEW 10th anniversary KCSourceLink is your connection to KC hip KC is better connected 35,717 referrals (since 2003) of business owners to resources that can help them grow Beyond Collisions: How to Build Your Entrepreneurial Infrastructure 53,305 connections (since 2003) to the entrepreneurial ecosystem by Maria Meyers and Kate Hodel Get connected to KC s entrepreneurial ecosystem and get involved: Visit wecreatekc.com or call 816-235-6500. 14 number of spots KC jumped in the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity, from to Sources: KCSourceLink, SourceLink Pro, ; Kauffman Index of Startup Activity, With support from The Report was Prepared Under an Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. This publication was prepared by the University of Missouri Kansas City Innovation Center. The statements, findings, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration. April 2018 Copyright 2018 The Curators of the University of Missouri on behalf of KCSourceLink. All rights reserved. Data powered by SourceLink. Design: The Creative Department, Inc. ideaville.net Photography: Tim Pott Photography timpottphotography.com